How To Successfully Rebrand Yourself

How To Successfully Rebrand Yourself

If you’re a Boss Babe, you already know how it feels to have admiration for your brand. It’s a love-hate relationship. Sometimes you wonder if anyone else is paying attention to the effort you put into the little things like font choices, colors and photos. Sometimes you don’t even care because it’s pretty to you and that’s all that matters.

But have you ever had that urge, that whisper, that says “start over” or “do something different”. At first, you might try ignoring the whisper since you don’t want to hear it. You just put all this time, energy and (ahem) money into this brand. Why are your emotions trying to mess things up? Can’t you stick to one thing and feel good? Why does it always feel like the second you settle into something, another brand idea, topic or freaking color is calling your name?

I know the dance of this push and pull very well. I’ve dealt with it over many years. My name is Alex. I founded Boss Babe in 2014 and since then I’ve re-branded many times. At first, it felt like I was a failure because I couldn’t stick to anything. Over time I’ve realized that it was all a result of my impulsive behavior mixed with creativity. Those are two features that have worked in my favor many times in my life, but they can also cause a lot of chaos if I don’t control them.

I’ve recently re-branded to focus on the magical concept of Grace which I can tell you about later. For now, I want to show you ways you can successfully rebrand if you know this daunting task is coming. I will give you some tips on how to go into it with an open heart and excitement instead of embarrassment, shame or guilt. You ready?

Before we get started, let’s get very clear on what rebranding actually is.

According to branding expert Laurent Muzellec, rebranding is a “marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination […] is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, etc.”

Recently, Barbie changed their branding to be a little less focused on getting little girls to aspire to be six foot blonde, perfect housewives and more focused on being a tool for them to use their imagination. This commercial which launched the rebrand actually brought me to tears. It elegantly shows the power of what it’s like tobe a kid, particularly a little girl.

This is what I would call a powerful and wise rebrand. Barbie’s cliche associations with perfection and beauty don’t sit as well in today’s society as it did back in the 1950’s. How can you look at what Barbie did with their rebrand and learn from it? Also, are you starting to have a better understanding on what rebranding actually is? If so, let’s move on to you.

How To Successfully Rebrand:

1. Get Very Clear On Why You Are Doing This

It’s important that you understand the big “WHY” behind the reason you feel you need to rebrand. If you’re doing it because you feel like you can catch a trend or because you saw something that you thought was a “better brand” then those are not good enough reasons to uproot everything and start fresh. No matter how much you love your brand, there will always be seductive trends floating by. There will always be other brands that you might aspire to be like.Those things will happen to you matter what.

Be wise about how much you let it affect you. If you get an itch to change your brand because of those things, you are putting yourself at risk to never have a stable brand! You’re catching a hat in the wind! Instead of switching your whole brand when you see a new trend, get creative and try to incorporate it into what you’re already working on. If you see another brand that makes you drool every time you come across it, bask in the inspiration and enjoy what they’ve created for you. You don’t need to mimic it or shake your foundation up.

If your reasons to rebrand are based on the fact that you know it will make you happier or more confident about your work then those reasons hold more merit and end up paying off in the long run. You want to make sure you have positive associations with your work and that they fulfill you. If your rebrand is needed to make yourself feel more personal fulfilled, then do it! While you’re at it, do other things that will make you personally fulfilled. That’s what it’s all about right?

2. Prepare Your Audience For The Change

You can’t have a successful rebrand if you don’t foreshadow the changes you’re going to be making. Out of the respect for the people who are already following and buying from you, tell them what’s going on. They deserve to know which direction you’ll be going in. You can do this by sending an email, announcing it on your social media, making a video or a webinar, the options are endless.

You want to make sure that your announcement includes these key things:

What your new brand will be about

What people can expect from you with the new brand

When you plan to make the official change (if you have an actual date)

Where to go (or click) to become more involved with it (I recommend having an email list for them to sign up to if they aren’t on one already)

[BONUS] Why you decided to change your brand — The reason why this is a bonus is because it’s not required but it’s a polite and insightful gesture. Usually people who follow you want to know the reason why you do things. Your rebrand is sure to spike up curiosity. You’re likely to get many people inquiring about it. I recommend writing it out in a blog form and directing people to the link should they ask. Here’s an example of the reason why I rebranded. It’s simple but telling and gives people more context to the new material coming.

3. Be Graceful About The People Who Decide The New Stuff Is Not For Them

Don’t freak out if not everyone is down for the new you. Part of the price you pay for the rebrand is losing some interest from your existing audience. No need to get bitter about it. You’ve probably done it yourself. Think about an artist that you loved up until they launched a new album that didn’t sound like anything else they’ve done. You were probably a little appalled and then quickly ran the other way. Right?

Many of Lady Gaga’s “little monsters” fled when they saw her wearing regular clothes and singing jazz music, but it’s what she needed at the time. She was willing to put her artistry before appeasing everyone.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the sector of her audience who did end up enjoying her rebrand, became an even more solidified cohort of raving fans. I talk about the importance of raving fans a lot. Studies show that if you have 1,000 raving fans as a creator, you will have enough customers to last you a lifetime.

You have to remember, if something costs more than your piece of mind then it is too expensive.

Sure, it may sting a little bit to see some people go, but isn’t it worth the reward of you getting to work on something that excites you? The answer is yes.

4. Don’t Feel Bad About It

You will probably experience all types of fears, shame and guilt right after you’ve publicly announced (or have even internally decided) to rebrand. It will be an emotional time. You’ve just laid down a new foundation. You will be sensitive to how fragile it is. You might worry about what certain friends or family members are thinking when they see your new material.

You can spend time thinking about that, or you can give yourself a pat on the back for actually pursuing what you want in life. A rebrand is not the biggest deal in the world. Don’t let people make you feel bad about it. Do your best to control your own self-sabotaging. I used to do it all the time (and I still struggle with it) but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am just a bit unpredictable. Am I supposed to feel bad because people can’t put their finger on me? I don’t think so. I don’t want people’s fingers on me anyway. 🙂

5. Commit

Once you really decide to commit, commit! A commitment is not a commitment just because you think you’ve committed. It’s when you are actually taking the actions of commitment. In a marriage, the ring is a symbol of the commitment but it is not the commitment itself. You’ve now put a ring on this new brand. You owe it your time and effort.

If you start getting cold feet, go back to tip number one which was “Get Very Clear On Why You’re Doing This”. Sometimes you might have to revisit your original intention to put things back into perspective. You did this because you wanted to, remember? You had a good reason for it. It wasn’t to catch trend or try to be somebody else, it was because you knew it was going to make you happier. Now let it make you happier. Yes. It’s possible. 🙂

I hope these tips were helpful for you. As I mentioned earlier, I have recently rebranded. I wanted to spend my time focusing on something that I knew was going to fill me up instead of drain me out. My brand is about incorporating the magic of grace into everyday life.